Car-door gear.



Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEETI Wilma/mes COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH CO-,WASHINGTON. D &

c. A. LlNDSTRb M.

CAR DOOR GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1910.

Witnmoeo COHJMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,W.ISH1NHTON, n. c.

0. A. LINDSTRUM.

CAR DOOR GEAR.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 22. 1910.

Patented Oct. 5, 1915.

3 SHEETSSHEET 3- it v v CAR-DOOR GEAR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented oet." 5, 1915.

( Application filed March 22, 1910.' Serial N 0. 551,000. 1

To all whom 2'15 may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. LIND- s'rRoM, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, (Northside,) in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsyl- Vania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Car-Door Gear, of-which the following is a specification.

An object of the-present invention is to provide a safety clutch for railway car discharge door operating mechanism similar to those illustrated in my three United States Letters Patent 'Nos. 865,714; 865,920, and 865,921, all granted September 10, 1907.

A specific object of the present invention is to so form such a clutch that the same may be applied to old mechanisms and also assembled readily. w Safety devices or clutches are desirable in car door operating mechanisms to insure safety to the operator by allowing the door to run away from the operating crank when once started as already explained in the above cited patents.

My improved clutch is fully hereinafter described and clearlyshown in the accompanying drawings in which likereference characters refer to like parts, and in which F igure; 1 is an elevation of my clutch,

showing portions of a car to which the same is applied; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, showing the usual safety pawl and ratchet mechanism; Fig. 3 is a detail View of a door shaft made in two parts forthe purpose of applying the improved clutch of .my invention; Fig.4 is a sectional detail View of the adjacent ends of the parts of said shaft showing, in section, a clutch applied thereto; Fig. 5 is an end view of the same; Figs. 6 and 7 are detail side views of the two members of a clutch; Figs. 8 and 9 are detail end views of the same, and Figs. 10 and 11 are detail longitudinal sections of the same.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, for illustration, 1 represents a car body of the hopper type to'which this invention is especially applicable, 2 represents the discharge door adapted to close thehopper of the car-1, and 3 any suitable form of crank suitably connected to the door 2, for operatingsamer o t 4,5 is the two-part door-operating shaft,

one portion 5 of whichis suitably; journaled on the car body 1, as at the center sills, and

carries the door-operating lever 3, the other portion 4 connects the portion 5 with the side of the car and has the-usual squared end for operating, and has mounted thereon the usual pawl and ratchet mechanism 6 for holding the shaft 4, 5 against turning when from one part of the shaft to the other and to allow a limited amount of motion of one part of said shaft independent of the other. For this purpose part 5 of the door-operating shaft is formed at-the end adjacent part 4 of the shaft with an enlarged squared portion 5 and a head 5', and the part 4 of the shaft is formed at'the end adjacent part 5 with a contracted'squared end portion 4*. By reason of the fact" that theend' 4* of the part 4 of the operating shaft is. contracted, or of less dimension than the balance of the shaft, it'is possible to take an old shaft, cut the same in twOIparts, form the enlarged squared portion 5 the, head '5 and the contracted squared portion 4 and still have in the combined lengthsof-the two parts the original length of shaft. 7

Part 5 of the operating shaft is provided with the-enlarged squared portion 5 and the head 5 for the purpose of receiving and connecting it to clutch member 7, the parts being so arranged that when assembled the narrow end of the clutch member 7 bears against one of the bearings which support part 5, thus preventingpart 5 from being thrust or moved away from part 4. Part 5 of the shaft is prevented from movement in the opposite direction by cotter 9 passed longitudinahmovement toward the side of the car by a cotter 10 passed through the shaft and bearing against the inner face of the shaft hanger adjacent the pawl and ratchet mechanism 6.

Clutch member 7 is cup-shaped to receive clutch member 8, a rotary bearing for which it forms, the member 7 and the head 5 forming also an end-thrust bearing for both part f of the shaft and the clutch member S mounted thereon. Each of the clutch members 7, 8 are provided with lugs 7*, 8 which project into the rotary path of each other for the purpose of transmitting motion from one of said members to the other. With the parts thus assembled it will be seen that part 5 of the operating shaft is held in place against longitudinal movement by cotter 9 and clutch member 7, and that the part a of the operating shaft is held in place against longitudinal movement by clutch member 7 and cotter 10.

The advantage of the clutch thus inserted in the operating shaft is that upon starting the door-operating lever 3 in the dooropening direction, lug 7 on the clutch 7 will be carried away from the lug 8 on the clutch 8, so that the door will open without part 5 of the operating shaft imparting movement to part a so that the operation of the shaft is made perfectly safe for the operator, as has been fully described in my three patents above enumerated.

An important feature of the present invention is that a form of clutch is provided which makes it possible to apply the same to any existing door mechanism simply by removing the door-operating shaft, cutting same into two parts, suitably shaping the adjacent ends, or as already described, and applying the clutch members, which may be kept in stock. Or all the parts may be kept in stock, and the old mechanism may be completely discarded and the car may be equipped with the specific structure, of the parts described, anew.

Another important advantage of the structure described is that it makes the assembling or disassembling of the parts very simple, it being necessary to remove but two cotters, whereupon the entire mechanism may be taken apart, as one part acts to hold an adjacent part against displacement. From the structure herein shown and described it is obvious that head 5 may be dispensed with and yet the parts will still be held against displacement, in which event the ends of the shaft parts 5, .4 will bear against each other.

The invention is not limited to the shape of the parts illustrated in the drawings, save as hereinafter defined in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, the following is What I claim as new therein and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, an operating shaft divided longitudinally, a head on one portion of said operating shaft, a crank on said portion and a rod connecting said crank to the car door, cooperating clutch members secured to the adjacent end portions of the operating shaft, a portion of one clutch member being insorted in an enlarged portion of the other clutch member, and forming a rotary and end thrust bearing for the other clutch member; substantially as described.

2. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, an operating shaft divided longitudinally and having its end portions formed angular in cross section, a head on one portion of said operating shaft, a crank on said portion, and arod connecting said crank to the car door, cooperating clutch members attached to the said adjacent angular end portions, clutch members secured on the said angular end portions, a portion of one clutch member being inserted in an enlarged portion of the other clutch member, and forming a rotary and end thrust bearing for the other clutch member; substantially as described.

3. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, an operating shaft divided longitudinally and having its adjacent end portions formed angular in cross section, a head on one portion of said operating shaft, a crank on said portion and a rod connecting said crank to a car door, cooperating clutch members on said adjacent angular end portions, a portion of one clutch member being inserted in an enlarged portion of the other clutch member and forming a rotary end thrust bearing for the other clutch member, said clutch members having lugs projecting into the path of each other and arranged to remain out of contact with each other during the major portion of a revolution; substantially as described.

4-. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, a two part door operating shaft, a head formed on one of said parts, a clutch member mounted on said part adapted to coact with the clutch member mounted on the other of said parts.

5. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, a two part door operating shaft, co-acting clutch members mounted on the adjacent ends of said parts, and means on one of said parts adapted to seat within one of said clutch members to prevent accidental separation of said parts.

6. In a car discharge door operating mechanism, a two part door operating shaft, a head on one of said parts, a clutch member mounted on said part and forming a seat for said head, a co-acting clutch member mounted on the adjacent end of the other of said parts, said clutch members forming a coupling between both of said parts.

7. In a car discharge door operating member being adapted to hold the second mechanism, a two part door operating shaft, clutch member in operative position. 13 a bearing for one part of said shaft, a clutch In testimony whereof I affix my signature member :mounted on said part and held in presence of tWo Witnesses.

against longitudinal movement by means in- CHARLES A; LIN DSTROM. tegral with said part and by said bearing, a Witnesses: second clutch member mounted on the other H. B. FISHER,

part of said shaft, first mentioned clutch HARRY A. KNIGHT.

Copies of this-patent may be obtained for five cents each, addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

" Washington, I). G. 5 

